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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. object — an aim
  8. track — to keep track
  9. degree — temperature
  10. cue — for pool
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cue — a signal
  13. object — a thing
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cue — a hint
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. track — a song
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. capital — a city
  22. track — a path
  23. capital — money
  24. object — to protest

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com